Witness descriptions of a suspect in two robberies that occurred hours apart Tuesday helped police make an arrest.
William Edward Adams, 30, is accused of robbing the PNC Bank,1850 S. Limestone St., shortly after 10 a.m.
Springfield police Capt. Mike Hill said Adams, who is accused of passing the clerk a note demanding cash, fled in a tan SUV.
A man of similar physical description was suspected of robbing the Certified gas station, 1350 N. Belmont St., early Tuesday. Hill said the witness was able to get a license plate from a tan SUV seen in that incident. While searching the area after the bank robbery, the license plate reader on an officer's cruiser found a matching vehicle outside a home in the 500 block of Homeview Avenue.
The person who answered the door told police they would find their suspect upstairs, Hill said.
"That male suspect barricaded himself in the bedroom. We ended up having to force entry into that room to apprehend him," the captain said.
Adams was arrested, questioned at police headquarters and taken to the Clark County Jail. Hill said a large amount of cash was found in the bedroom where Adams was apprehended, but Hill wasn't sure what the total amount was or what robbery it was connected with.
Springfield resident Wanda Banfield, who works next to the PNC Bank, and said she has seen robberies in the past. She said she wasn't surprised it happened again, but was concerned why someone would rob two places in the same day.
"There's got to be other ways out there, between family, friends and charity organizations," she said. "There's a lot of food banks out there, a lot of places that are willing to help if you seek them out."
In this case, Hill said the public's help was invaluable in making a quick arrest.
"If it wasn't for the witness information, we probably wouldn't have found this (man), so we really appreciate the help we got from witnesses," he said.
Adams is expected to be arraigned on the robbery charges Wednesday morning in Clark County Municipal Court.